jk mtg variants

1. Choose one of the rules for library construction, some faster (using a randomized library) and some slower (pre-constructing a library using any cards from a given pool). Alternatively you can choose from these default options:
   • Random: Simply give each player a randomized library of any desired size, unless specified by the other rules.
   • Sealed: Give each player a randomized pool of 60 cards. Then each player builds a library consisting of 40 cards total, chosen in any combination from their pool and unlimited Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest.
   • Draft: Players are given 3 booster packs each (which can be actual boosters or 15-card stacks prepared from some pool). Then players draft a pool of 45 cards each. Then each player build a library by consisting of 40 cards total, chosen in any combination from the their pool and unlimited Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest
   • Constructed: Players each prepare a 60-card library ahead of time. You may impose any rules on acceptable ways to construct the library.
2. Choose one of formats available for the desired number of players. Alternatively you can choose from these default options:
   • 2 players: Best-of-3-games Match
   • 4 players: Round-robin Tournament: every pair of players plays a best-of-3-games match, which constitutes a 3 rounds and 6 matches.
   • 6,8,10,... players: Group Tournament: log₂N-round tournament whose ranking is determined by some points system. Players are randomly assigned opponents at first. After each round, players are reassigned to opponents with the closest points total.
3. Optionally choose one of the rules which ease card access. Many of these were created to improve mana consistency.
4. Optionally choose any number of in-game rules variants.

1. Expedition

• 1.1. Gameplay
  • 1.1.1. Each player receives a Caravan (1.3), consisting of 40 random cards from the Expedition Pool (1.2).
  • 1.1.2. Anytime you could play a land from your hand, you may instead Explore. Explore is a special action (See MTG¹ 115).
    • 1.1.2.1. To Explore, choose a nonland card from your hand and put it in the Continent (1.4). You may choose one of that card's colors. If you do not, an opponent of your choice chooses a color. Search the Continent for a basic land which produces mana of that color (See MTG¹ 305.6) and put it onto the battlefield.
• 1.2. Expedition Pool
  • 1.2.1. Banned List
    • 1.2.1.1. The following cards are banned in Expedition:
      • Batterskull
      • Bribery
      • Elspeth, Knight-Errant
      • Gifts Ungiven
      • Jace, the Mind Sculptor
      • Pack Rat
      • Primeval Titan
      • Sundering Titan
      • Wurmcoil Engine
    • 1.2.1.2. The following cards should not be included in the Expedition Pool:
      • Crucible of the Worlds
      • Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
      • Life from the Loam
      • Raven's Crime
      • Vedalken Shackles
• 1.3. Caravan
  • 1.3.1. All references to the library now refer instead to the Caravan.
  • 1.3.2. Any effect that allows you to search your Caravan now allows you to search the Continent (1.4) as well. If the same part of the effect allows you to move one or more basic lands from your Caravan, you may move any or all of those from the Continent (1.4) as well.
• 1.4. Continent
  • 1.4.1. The Continent is a pool consisting of an unlimited number of each of the cards, Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest.
• 1.5. All rules in See MTG¹ apply as well.

2. Paragon

• 2.1. Gameplay
  • 2.1.1. The first player builds a library by consisting of 45 cards total, chosen in any combination from the draft pool and unlimited Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest.
  • 2.1.2. The second player builds a library in the same way, but cannot choose any of the cards already taken from the draft pool. At any time during this process, the second player may review the library built by the first player.
  • 2.1.3. The first player may now review the second player's Library.
• 2.2. All rules in See MTG¹ apply as well.

3. Omniscience

• 3.1. Gameplay
  • 3.1.1. Each player begins by drafting 45 cards from the Omniscience Pool.
  • 3.1.2. Each player builds a 30-card Experience from those 45 cards.
  • 3.1.3. At the beginning of the game, each player adds their Experience to their hand.
  • 3.1.4. There is no draw step.
  • 3.1.5. There is no cleanup step.
• 3.2. Omniscience Pool
  • 3.2.1. Banned List
    • 3.2.1.1. The following cards are banned in Omniscience:
      • Lotleth Troll
      • Cards which move all cards in an opponent's hand.
    • 3.2.1.2. The following cards should not be included in the Omniscience Pool:
      • All cards whose primary effects draw or search the library.
• 3.3. Experience
  • 3.3.1.
• 3.4. There is no library.
  • 3.4.1. If the object that's resolving is an instant spell, a sorcery spell, or an ability, its resolution may involve several steps (See MTG¹ 608.2).
    • 3.4.1.1. Parts of the spell or ability's effect which refer to the library are illegal. The spell or ability is countered if all of its parts are now illegal. If the spell or ability is not countered, parts of its effect which are not illegal resolve normally.
• 3.5. All rules in See MTG¹ apply as well.

6. Channel

• 6.1. Gameplay
  • 6.1.1. Each player receives a 40-card library from the Channel Pool.
  • 6.1.2. Players cannot add mana to their mana pool except using the Channel action.
  • 6.1.3. Channel is a mana ability (See MTG¹ 406).
    • 6.1.3.1. To take the Channel action, players must pay 1 life. Then the player adds one mana of any color or one colorless mana to their mana pool.
• 6.2. Channel Pool
  • 6.2.1. Banned List
    • 6.2.1.1. The following cards are banned in Channel:
      • Any cards with effects which scale with X.
        • Bonfire of the Damned
        • Death Cloud
        • Devil's Play
        • Earthquake
        • Inferno Titan
        • Martial Coup
        • Mirror Entity
        • Profane Command
        • Secure the Wastes
      • Aetherling
      • Glen Elendra Archmage
      • Griselbrand
      • Pack Rat
      • Path to Exile
      • Phyrexian Unlife
    • 6.2.1.2. The following cards should not be included in the Channel Pool:
      • Lands.
      • Any cards which primarily interact with lands or produce mana.
      • Condescend
      • Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
      • Judge's Familiar
      • Mana Leak
      • Spell Pierce
      • Wildfire
• 6.3. All rules in See MTG¹ apply as well.

8. Intrigue

• 8.1. Gameplay
  • 8.1.1. Players each receive a Permission marker (8.2), which looks like (T|A).
  • 8.1.2. The first player orients their Permission marker with the A side facing right. Each subsequent player orients their Permission marker in the opposite direction of the player before them.
  • 8.1.3. Before all other events during the untap step, the active player rotates their Permission marker 180 degrees.
• 8.2. Permission marker
  • 8.2.1. Players may only attack the player or planeswalkers controlled by the player seated in direction of the A side of their Permission marker.
  • 8.2.2. Players may not target Bystanders or permanents controlled by Bystanders.
    • 8.2.2.1. Bystanders refer to opponents who are not the player seated in the direction of the T side of a player's Permission marker.
• 8.3. All rules in See MTG¹ apply as well.

9. Planar Horde

• 9.1. Gameplay
  • 9.1.1. Players build a library using any construction rules.
  • 9.1.2. Each player plays a separate one-on-one game with a unique planeswalker horde.
  • 9.1.3. Play alternates between the player's turn and the horde's turn.
    • 9.1.3.1. The player's turn proceeds as normal.
    • 9.1.3.2. Horde's turn
      • 9.1.3.2.1. The player to the active player's right (the Controller) controls the horde.
      • 9.1.3.2.2. After the beginning phase, there is a Summoning Phase.
        • 9.1.3.2.2.1. The active player selects X planeswalkers from the Planeswalker Pool, where X is the total number of players. Starting with the player to the active player's left and going clockwise, each other player chooses one planeswalker and puts it back into the Planeswalker Pool. Then the Controller puts the remaining planeswalker onto the battlefield.
        • 9.1.3.2.2.2. No player receives priority during the Summoning Phase, so no spells can be cast or resolve and no abilities can be activated or resolve. Any ability that triggers during this step will be held until the next time a player would receive priority, which is usually during the precombat main phase.
      • 9.1.3.2.3. There is no draw step.
      • 9.1.3.2.4. There is no cleanup step.
  • 9.1.4. The player goes first.
    • 9.1.4.1. Immediately before the start of the game (See MTG¹ 103.7), the player draws 2 cards.
    • 9.1.4.2. On the player's first turn, the player may play two additional lands.
  • 9.1.5. The horde is not a player and cannot lose the game.
  • 9.1.6. The player cannot win the game.
  • 9.1.7. When every other player has lost, the remaining player wins the match.
• 9.2. Planeswalkers owned by the horde (Archmages)
  • 9.2.1. Archmages are regarded as players rather than permanents.
  • 9.2.2. If an Archmage would gain life, it gains that many loyalty counters instead. If an Archmage would lose life, it loses that many loyalty counters instead.
  • 9.2.2. If an Archmage would lose the game, it's put into its owner's graveyard instead. (This is a state-based action. See MTG¹ 704.)
  • 9.2.3. Ignore effects which cannot affect Archmages (e.g. forcing one to reveal its hand, discard cards, sacrifice permanents, take extra turns, gain control of objects, be unable to cast spells, etc.).
• 9.3. All rules in See MTG¹ apply as well.

10. Pylon

• 10.1. Gameplay
  • 10.1.1. Each player begins the gain with 40 life.
• 10.2. Mirror
  • 10.2.1. There exists a separate battlefield between every pair of players.
  • 10.2.2. Every card in each player's library begins as two linked clones.
  • 10.2.3. The first time a permanent enters the battlefield, it enters as two linked clones, one in each battlefield in which its controller participates.
  • 10.2.4. If an effect controlled by an opponent causes a permanent to leave the battlefield, it only moves the clone from the mutual battlefield.
  • 10.2.5. Whenever a player casts a linked spell or activates an ability targeting an opponent, or an object or zone controlled by an opponent; that spell or ability is copied for each other opponent; targeting that opponent, or an object or zone (chosen by the player) controlled by that opponent.
  • 10.2.6. Whenever a player casts a linked spell or activates an ability targeting themself, or an object or zone controlled by themself, that player copies that spell or ability targeting themself, or an object or zone (chosen by that player) controlled by themself.
• 10.3. All rules in See MTG¹ apply as well.

11. Masquerade

• 11.1. Gameplay
  • 11.1.1. Permanent cards you own have morph. The morph costs are equal to their converted mana costs.
• 11.2. All rules in See MTG¹ apply as well.

12. Flash

• 12.1. Gameplay
  • 12.1.1. You may cast nonland cards as though they had flash.
• 12.2. All rules in See MTG¹ apply as well.

14. Civilization

• 14.1. Gameplay
  • 14.1.1.
• 14.2. Cities
  • 14.2.1. The type, land, is replaced by the type, City. All cards which refer to lands or players instead refer to cities. When a player attacks, they choose to attack a city or planeswalker controlled by an opponent for each attacking creature. During the cleanup step, a city with 5 or more damage marked receives that many -1 supply counters before damage is removed. A city with 1 or 2 damage marked receives one -1 supply counter; with 3 or 4 damage marked receives two -1 supply counters. A city with 5 or more -1 supply counters is sacrificed. {Lands gain "{T}: put a +1 supply counter on this permanent"}
• 14.3. Capital
  • 14.3.1. Whenever a player would gain life, they instead add that many +1 supply counters to their Capital. Whenever a player would lose life, they instead add that many -1 supply counters to their Capital. +1 and -1 supply counters cancel out as a state-based action. As a state-based action, if a Capital has 5 or more -1 supply counters, the player sacrifices a land. If they cannot, they lose the game.
• 14.4. All rules in See MTG¹ apply as well.